Eos Fun Facts

First off the {recall from} button rules : )

But, I also just started using group #'s for color systems in our shows, and this seems like a pretty cool little trick. I made groups in the thousands made it easy to reference, for example our L132 system is Group 1320, G 362 is Group 3620, R09 is Group 9000, etc. Makes checking color and changing gel really simple.

I'd be curious to know how everyone has been marking on their Eos. I have used a few methods, but am programming August: Osage County now and think I've come up with a good system that doesn't involve using board marking. I'm thinking up a macro to make it even easier.

I'll make a post about it soon, but it seems like there are a few good options for marking. I've liked the control of seeing the values and doing it myself on this show. And Presets as well as the {AllNP}, and the {recall from} buttons make it pretty easy to move things around.

Alex

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Lightboard Operator

Alley Theatre

Houston TX

First off the {recall from} button rules : )

But, I also just started using group #'s for color systems in our shows, and this seems like a pretty cool little trick. I made groups in the thousands made it easy to reference, for example our L132 system is Group 1320, G 362 is Group 3620, R09 is Group 9000, etc. Makes checking color and changing gel really simple.

I'd be curious to know how everyone has been marking on their Eos. I have used a few methods, but am programming August: Osage County now and think I've come up with a good system that doesn't involve using board marking. I'm thinking up a macro to make it even easier.

I'll make a post about it soon, but it seems like there are a few good options for marking. I've liked the control of seeing the values and doing it myself on this show. And Presets as well as the {AllNP}, and the {recall from} buttons make it pretty easy to move things around.

Alex

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Lightboard Operator

Alley Theatre

Houston TX

Alex,

     I agree, the [recall from] is awesome!

    We usually don't use Automark as It is really easy to use the boards referenced marks feature instead, while leaving you more options.

    Macros can make things much easier.  Lately I made a bunch of Macros that will label cues with common terms like BO, Preset, FOH up etc.  With all of the option I think the Macro and Query function could have a huge impact on speed and accuracy. 

Mark Rhoads

Lightboard Operator

IATSE Local 51

Houston TX

Mark-

I was using the referenced marks for awhile, but here's why I stopped. And tell me if I am wrong. I was breaking marks when we needed to move the intensity fade up ahead in a cue list. So if cue 2 is my show preset, and fixture 381 is Marking out of Cue 5, my first look. But then we decide not to bring up 381 until Cue 12, I will break my mark by simply moving the intensity move. Also, say I have a cue where a gobo rotation is going to start. I want to move my Moving Light into its focus, beam, and color in cue 15, but don't want the gobo rotation to start until cue 29, right before it comes up in cue 30. In this situation, referenced marking seems unnecessarily difficult.

The macro I am thinking of would be something like: Macro x: {381 thru 387 + 391 thru 408 AllNPs Recall From Cue} where 381 thru 385 would be AS VL1000s 386+387 are T VL1000s and 391 thru 406 are Nexera Profiles and 407+408 are Extreme Green Seachangers (I just love calling them Extreme Green). For any show, it would basically be a list of fixtures with Non-intensity Parameters. Anyways, in this set up I could make my look live, update, hit blind Cue n (wherever I want them to mark), then Macro x type my cue number, hit enter. I've basically been doing this without the macro, and it seems to be working. The only issue seems to be Blocks in between, but that is quick and easy enough to set up. Also if you use point cues that follow after your hard blocks to mark, it seems to keep things very clean.

Thoughts? Also, nice to see another Houston Board Op on the forums! I just joined the other day but this seems like a great source of cool info...

Best.

Alex

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Lightboard Operator

Alley Theatre

Houston TX

Alex,

If you're interested, you can also enter color information in Patch, and then use Query to select units in a specific color.

When the import from Lightwright functions are a little more robust, you'll also be able to import color information directly from your LW file.  You can import this information now, but it will overwrite any patch information you have stored, so be careful until that is corrected.

~P

Alex,

I just wanted to mention that what you want is still possible using referenced marks.

For adding in a channel earlier in the cues, in live, it's quite easy.  Just bring up the intensity, and because the channel is marking, its NPs have data, which now become hard.  Simply remark (the earliest M softkey might be a help), update, and at enter the channel where it used to come up.  In blind, recall the channel from where it used to come up.  Remark, and at enter the old spot.

Re-reading your post, you're looking at having a channel come up later in the cue list.  You would handle this much in the same way you would deal with intensity coming up later (and would on the O2 as well).  Go to cue 12, and ch 381 [Block].  This will set both intensity and NPs to hard data.  In cue 5, at enter 381.  Now  that 381 is coming up from 0 in cue 12, it will except a Mark 2.  Probably about as much work, but you preserve referenced marks.

For your rotator example, you can mark discrete attributes.  So 381 mark 15 enter, rotate mark last enter.

Here's what really sold me on referenced marks.  You can think of the mark attribute as something attached to the light in the cue it comes up, as well as any other parameters, so you're giving it information about how you want the light in the moment -- ie. "I want the light in blue and I want it to mark from the top of the show."  So the mark isn't part of the marking cue, it's part of the first use cue, even though the action happens in an earlier cue.  Does that make sense (or help :-) ).

What that means, is that I'm free to think about a channel in the moment.  If I'm adding a channel, I can set it how I want, let it know I'd rather see it fade up all good to go, and that's it.  No blind maintenance, I can just move forwards.  If I make a change, say adjusting a special on an actor, I can just do it and update without worrying about going back and fixing the mark, which helps me stay in the moment of reacting to the show.

In addition: As you say, referenced marks ignore blocks and warn when lights are active, again facilitating programming in the moment.  I find seeing the cue indication of a marking light really useful to let me know if I'm about to use a light.  A marking light doesn't track (because the light's information is actually stored in the first use cue), so if I add a light with a new set of parameters earlier in the cue sequence, I don't need to worry about it obliterating any parameter data down the line.

Just my 0.02.  Hope it's useful.

-Josh

Josh-

Thanks for your thoughtful response...

Maybe I'm missing something here, but to me it seems like it would be just as easy to use manual marking with the Eos.

Here's what I am thinking of doing for my next show:

I just learned about using Intensity blocks, so I'm thinking most of what are full blocks now, I would make only intensity blocks. Then I wouldn't have to worry about making sure NIP's track through my blocks and would just have to worry about the marking cue and the live cue. In this example, if we know where the light is coming up and we are in that cue and we made a change to the focus of the instrument or something, couldn't I just just use a keystroke like Chan 381 {all NiPs}{update} cue 5, then go to cue 12 again, and have my mark fixed without leaving live? Then if I wanted the light to come up in cue 10, it's already in it's preset and I just need to give it a level. Or if I wanted to mark different parameters later, I could do that as well.

This seems quicker to me than having to worry about @ {entering} anything or using make absolute. And if I have a macro to label cues marking cues, and a decent assistant. I shouldn't ever make mistakes about when a light is being used.

Just a thought. Anyone else have a system they're using? Also am I just a jaded old Obsession user? : )

Alex

Light Board Operator

Alley Theatre

Houston TX

I have done both manual marking and reference marking. I tend to like manual marking because it is easier to use units if I need to in their mark period. When manually making mark cues I use an intensity palate with the label "M" so that I can tell at a glance units that are marked for use and units that are not.